Bulwark Takes

Catherine Rampell and JVL break down the latest inflation numbers and why the Trump administration is desperately trying to convince Americans that rising prices are actually good news. Inflation hit 3.4% in August, real wages are falling behind, consumer confidence is sinking, and diesel prices have crossed $6 a gallon for the first time.
They also give their takes on the looming fight between Trump and the Federal Reserve, as Kevin Warsh faces a potentially impossible choice between doing what the economy requires and doing what Trump wants.
Plus, they take a closer look at Trump’s promise to send Americans $5,000 checks and why the plan may be even dumber than it sounds.
Your health matters and taking care of yourself shouldn’t be complicated.  Head to Zocdoc.com/BulwarkTakes to get started and check that appointment off your to-do list.
Read more from Catherine: https://www.thebulwark.com/receipts

Will Sommer and Andrew Egger dig into Katie Miller’s previously undisclosed financial stake in Elon Musk’s xAI and why it may shed new light on her relentless promotion of Grok. Miller has posted hundreds of times repeatedly attacked OpenAI, Anthropic, and other AI companies while boosting Grok as the AI for “true patriots.” But the Washington Post found through White House financial disclosures that she owns roughly $1 million in xAI stock.
After the Post broke the story, FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson rushed to defend Katie and instead of declining to comment, Ferguson accused the Post of partisan attacks.
Your health matters and taking care of yourself shouldn’t be complicated.  Head to https://Zocdoc.com/BulwarkTakes to get started and check that appointment off your to-do list.
Read Will’s False Flag newsletter: https://www.thebulwark.com/s/false-flag

…and for more Andrew Egger, check out Morning Shots: https://www.thebulwark.com/s/morningshots

Join Tim Miller, Sonny Bunch, Lauren Egan and Andrew Egger as they cover JD Vance's midterm convention speech live.
For 3 Day Blinds’ buy 1 get 1 50% off deal, head to https://3DayBlinds.com/BULWARKTAKES.

Catherine Rampell and Andrew Egger take on the increasingly hard-to-dismiss warnings about superintelligent AI, after an Anthropic researcher quit over fears that the technology could eventually threaten humanity. They ask whether anyone can actually control increasingly powerful AI, whether the Trump administration is making the problem worse, and why Washington seems so unprepared for what may be coming. Plus: Hunter Biden launches a meme coin—and it goes about as well as you’d expect.
For 3 Day Blinds’ buy 1 get 1 50% off deal, head to https://3DayBlinds.com/BULWARKTAKES.
Read Andrew's Morning Shots newsletter: https://www.thebulwark.com/p/our-orange-napoleon-wants-a-big-arch-arlington-memorial-trump-burgum-ai-openai-anthropic-extinction-risk-911-september-11-canada-trade-war
Jeff Stein — “Sam Altman Privately Rejected Giving OpenAI Shares to the Government”: https://washingtonsun.com/technology/sam-altman-privately-rejected-open-ai-government-equity

Will Sommer and Sam Stein went live for a special Thursday edition of MAGA Mondays. They give their takes on the fallout from Trump’s marathon RNC midterm convention speech, including his bizarre promise to give every American adult a $5,000 “dividend” if Republicans win the midterms. The proposed payout could cost more than $1 trillion, and even some MAGA figures are questioning where the money would come from.
They also react to Vivek Ramaswamy’s painfully awkward attempt to look like a baseball player in a campaign video, Nick Shirley’s struggle with spelling, Milo Yiannopoulos hinting at a conversion to Islam, Laura Loomer’s latest convention grievances, and the strange saga surrounding Elijah Schaffer and Kash Patel's girlfriend.
For 3 Day Blinds’ buy 1 get 1 50% off deal, head to https://3DayBlinds.com/BULWARKTAKES.